Contents
The myth of aphrodisiac foods: it’s all in the mind
Gender
There is no true scientific evidence to support the belief that certain foods support libido
Since ancient times, aphrodisiac foods they have aroused great interest. As Monica Branni, Platanomelon’s psychologist and sexologist points out, the word ‘aphrodisiac’ comes from Aphrodite, goddess of love for Greek civilization. He even comments that there is evidence that “in Egyptian culture ointments and food were used to improve desire and the sexual performance of the people ”. In Greece, on the other hand, they attributed this power to foods made with shellfish or eggs, although those that caused the opposite effect were also taken into account, such as lettuce, an inhibitor of sperm production, or onion, a bad companion of the Kisses. But were these peoples right?
Ángel Soriano, nutritionist, believes that the title of aphrodisiac has been granted to certain foods without true scientific evidence: «For physiological purposes, no food has that kind of effect». However, this belief may have its origin in that some edibles have components that, for example, can be testosterone precursors in men. However, although substances such as zinc or cholesterol They can help to raise the levels of this hormone in case of having a deficiency, if your testosterone levels are normal, you will not generate more. What you will produce, simply, will be more cholesterol. Therefore, it is not a stimulant, on the contrary, “people with high cholesterol tend to be overweight and have erection problems, because obesity is another negative factor for sexuality,” he clarifies.
Aphrodisiac foods have also been linked to dopamine. This nutritionist thinks that being subjected to a number of stimuli that we did not have before, has made us addicted to the ‘happiness hormone’. This neurotransmitter gives immediate pleasure, but it is fleeting; the moment it disappears from our mouths, our satisfaction does too. This occurs with fruitive foodsLike chocolate. “When you eat something that produces dopamine, your brain will automatically ask you for more and either you repeat that food or you look for another alternative that generates it, such as having sex.” Therefore, it is not that chocolate increases libido, but that your body needs to get more ‘drug’ like the one that provides you, in this case, chocolate, and sex does.
On the contrary, there are elements that curb sexual desire, among which the alcohol. “There are many people who resort to alcohol to disinhibit, but if you overdo it, especially men, they can have erectile dysfunction at the moment,” Soriano explains. In the case of women, MYHIXEL highlights that female sex hormones decrease during menopause or embarazo, which can cause a decrease in sexual desire and arousal. He also comments that there is scientific evidence that shows how people with disorders of anxiety o depression they may be at increased risk for sexual dysfunction.
What is the reason why you get excited when you eat certain foods? Your brain
This is how Silvia Cintrano, sexologist and director of the Centta Institute’s Couple Therapy unit, explains: “Although there are no foods that ‘per se’ generate an increase in sexual desire or activate arousal, we have a mind that is capable of eroticizing almost any stimulus. As Campoamor has already advanced, ‘it all depends on the color of the glass with which it is viewed’ “. Thus, a neutral stimulus, such as ice, whose function is to cool a drink, could be used in sexual games and take on an erotic look. The same goes for certain foods. «To be able to eroticize the food, you must pay attention to the whole context: a company that seduces, an intimate and comfortable environment, the expectations of what motivates the moment … as well as the foods that are palatable. All this generates a series of associations that facilitates the perception of the experience as an erotic stimulus, ”explains Cintrano.
Some speak of ‘placebo effect’
This sexologist agrees that there are foods that are reputed to be aphrodisiacs, but few (if not none) have chemical components that generate sexual arousal in the body, at least significantly perceptible. “It is that fame that generates in people a predisposition to an erotic environment.” And he gives the following example: «For most of society, it is not the same if on a date you have a champagne with strawberries, or on the contrary, a black rice with ali oli. In the collective erotic ideology, of course, one stimulus stands out clearly over the other. And not because of the food itself, but because of the expectations it generates when it appears ». Along the same lines, Monica Branni adds that sexual performance improves due to our own suggestion.
One of the factors that most intervene in this eroticization of food is the smell. By far it is the most powerful sense, as it is located closer to the hypothalamus, which is the brain structure responsible for memory, and is in turn connected to the limbic system, responsible for emotions. «This involves a rapid registration, generally associated with an emotion. When certain erotic smells appear, such as the perfume of a person who attracts you, memories of those erotic thoughts, intimate situations and positive emotions are triggered, which end up triggering the sexual response, ”explains Cintrano. In addition, if smell is joined by another sense such as taste, the memory will be more powerful and it will be easier for the body to get excited. In fact, Branni points out that it is proven that people who suffer from a smell disorder also have low sexual desire. However, Cintrano clarifies that for this sexual desire to appear, not only the senses must be stimulated: “It will be difficult to achieve an increase in libido if a person is not mentally predisposed, comfortable and safe.”
Finally, the memory That we have on certain foods are decisive when it comes to increasing or decreasing libido. As Cintrano concludes, oysters are not going to be perceived as aphrodisiacs by those who have been intoxicated with them, or strawberries by a seasonal worker who picks them every year. Each one will seek and adapt these stimuli according to their tastes and experiences.